CANANDAIGUA — What’s different when a veteran cooks? Diners benefit from the service that’s added into the meal.

Friday at lunchtime, eight new graduates from the Farm-to-Fork Food Service Technician program at Finger Lakes Community College laid out a knock-out spread at the New York Wine & Culinary Center — chick-pea-shrimp frittatas, chicken marsala, Caesar salad, crab-stuffed mushrooms, New England clam chowder, apple pie, and more.

All the graduates are veterans or spouses of veterans, beneficiaries of a free program federally funded through Rochester Institute of Technology and developed by Finger Lakes Community College with help from Wegmans and The Inn on the Lake.

Many in the class were unemployed before starting their coursework, which lasted three weeks at FLCC, The Inn on the Lake and the New York Wine & Culinary Center.

“They were terrific students,” said instructor Nick Gozik. “They’re all vets, they had a great work ethic and they formed a team. They are much higher-quality students because of their backgrounds.”

The program covered food safety and sanitation, customer service and food service.

“There were people with no experience in food preparation to someone who has run a restaurant as a chef,” Gozik said.

Lynn Freid, director of workforce development at FLCC, said the college was asked to develop the program, which provided “an opportunity to help veterans transition from military to civilian life.”

“There are a lot of people investing in you,” said County Administrator John Garvey, “people believing in you, in veterans. Employers are looking for skilled employees, and your investment in yourselves is part of the effort to bridge that gap.”

Steve Dolgos of Geneva was a security policeman in the Air Force. He’s been a truck driver, worked in construction and run a nightclub. He moved back into the area after spending time taking care of his mother in Florida.

“This course covered a lot of stuff,” he said, “cost-effectiveness, stocks, sauces, different cooking techniques for meats and vegetables … that was my recipe for the shrimp frittata.

“I have a couple of job offers,” Dolgos added. “I’m trying to get into The Inn on the Lake or the Canandaigua VA, the bigger industrial kitchens.” At the moment, he’s set to begin at the Captain’s Room in Geneva in May.

He was also the first of many to commend Rob Coe, the veterans’ representative at Ontario County Workforce Development, for helping gain entry to the program.

Larry Lehner of Penn Yan, a former hospital administrator and recent fundraiser at Keuka College, had retired. “After three months, I was going stir crazy,” he said. A former Army lieutenant with service in Korea and Vietnam, he knew about food service from an administrative level.

“This is in the trenches,” he said. “A total change, total difference from what I’ve done.” He’s anxious to try his new skills at his son’s restaurant in Denver.

Page 2 of 2 - Chris Ashley of Victor was an inspector in the Air Force and worked 20 years at Kodak before being laid off. “It’s been hard. There have been struggles,” he said. Now he’d like to see what food service has to offer. He also wants to keep close to his family while developing that career.

“I’m upbeat,” he said. “I keep on trucking.”

Jerry Sensabaugh, also of Victor, was in payroll and personnel in the Army and reserve. He lost his job in January. He had worked for Wegmans for 24 years in various managerial positions, sold cars at Auction Direct, and was most recently a salesman at a gun store.

“I have a wealth of different backgrounds,” he said. “This is one more branch in my tree of life. I’m encouraged. This course is something more in my hip pocket.”